Ag forum seeks trade-barrier cut

Stakeholders in the agricultural and food sectors attending a forum Thursday called for a reduction in trade barriers and ongoing dialogue between business leaders as China and the US sort details of the first phase of a trade agreement.

The importance of agricultural trade in US-China bilateral relations was emphasized during the second annual US-China Agriculture Food Trade Forum, attended by 300 representatives of multiple sectors from the two countries on Wednesday and Thursday.

"I've definitely heard from farmers in Alabama that it's having an impact on them and crops prices and getting their products to market. I think some of them are supportive of the president's effort to negotiate and get a better deal, but they also feel like they are sacrificing a little bit because of some of the tariffs and the trade situation," said Andrew Jones, a Republican state senator from Alabama.

According to Jones, agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Alabama. The state produces soybeans, corn, cotton and timber, among other crops.

"We would love to collaborate in any way we can to get our products into the Chinese market and reduce barriers to trade, so that we can help our farmers back in Alabama," he added.

The event, hosted by US-China Agriculture Trade Service Center and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Pasadena, was supported by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), US Meat Export Federation, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CCIC North America Inc.

Liu Haiyan, the commercial counselor at the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, told the audience that American agricultural products have been popular in the Chinese market.

China is the largest export market for US soybeans, and the second-largest market for US cotton, he noted.

In 2018, China's agricultural imports reached $137 billion. The US is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products.

"Our two countries have huge space for cooperation in the areas of food and agriculture, and prospects are very bright," Liu said.

Zhao Zhenge, general representative of CCPIT USA, called on the business community to appeal to local governments to solve trade frictions on the basis of "equality and mutual benefit".

China is a key importer of American agricultural products and was the third-largest market for US agricultural products from 2009-2017, Zhao said. However, due to the tariffs, those exports to China fell 20 percent in the first half of 2017.

"You can see that the interests from the two sides of the two communities are deeply intertwined, and levying tariffs, or economic decoupling, is not the choice," he added.

As part of the first phase of the agreement between the two parties, China promised to buy more US agricultural products. In return, the US suspended tariff increases that were to go into effect on Oct. 15.

Michael Burrows, executive director of the San Bernardino International Airport and Inland Valley Development Agency, said the most recent trade negotiations showed positive signs.

"Are we there yet? Not completely, but we are very encouraged with the government-to-government outreach at the very local level, at the business-to-business level, and that translates into solutions-based thinking as opposed to standing in the corner," he said.

The San Bernardino International Airport, San Bernardino City government, and the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles recently hosted a trade symposium at the airport at which officials discussed business opportunities between China and the region.

"Many of these solutions are available business-to-business, so being able to take those international partnerships on a company-to-company basis, you will be surprised at some of the solutions that companies arrive at just working together," Burrows added.